India beckons you, Modi tells NRIs

Country calling: PM exhorts expats to give back, announces sops

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday sought to hard-sell the series of new initiatives his government launched in the past few months and called upon the Indian diaspora to avail abundant opportunities now offered by India.

“There was a time when our ancestors went around the world to explore possibilities and to look for opportunities. But the time has changed and India is now full of opportunities that beckon you all,” Modi said during the inauguration of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2015 at the Mahatma Mandir here.

It was the first Pravasi Bharatiya Divas—the annual conclave Government of India holds to connect with Indian Diaspora—after the change of regime in New Delhi last year. And the new government sought to use it to the hilt to connect with expat Indians and seek their support to turn into reality the Prime Minister’s “vision’ for a new India”.

“India is global because of you,” he told the conclave, noting that expat Indians are spread around the world. He called upon them to forge a common identity and take pride in common heritage, as well as to use this strength collectively. He said that even if a solitary expat Indian was present anywhere in the world, India would be alive and present in that corner of the world through him.

“Richest and poorest of the nations around the world are all now looking at India,” he said, amid repeated applause from over 4,000 audience from 44 countries.

Guyana’s Indian-origin President Donald Ramotar was the chief guest in the inaugural ceremony, which was also attended by South Africa’s Minister for International Relations and Cooperation Maite Nkoana-Mashabane.

Mahatma Gandhi and his leadership role in the struggle for independence of India was the central theme this year as it coincided with the centenary of his return to India.

The prime minister released postal stamps worth Rs 5 and Rs 25 each commemorating the return of Mahatma Gandhi from South Africa to India. He also released commemorative coins of Rs 10 and Rs 100 denominations besides inaugurating the “Dandi Kutir” museum located opposite the Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar.

The three-storey exhibition, housed in a dome shaped structure, traces the life and times of the Mahatma through various faces—as a barrister, his struggles in South Africa, return to India and successfully leading the freedom struggle.

The Prime Minister asked expat Indians to join his government’s new endeavours for success of India, either by helping mobilise resources or by contributing knowledge and expertise.   

He particularly cited the example of “Namami Gange”—the ambitious plan to clean up Ganga. “I invite you all to take part in this (effort to clean the river),” he said, adding, “This is not only about cleaning Ganga, but also about boosting economic prosperity of 40 per cent of people of the country who live along the holy river,” he said.